Improved shield for arms of railway-car seats



0. L. SMITH.

Car Seat.

Patented Nov. 9, 1869.

"tinned States OLNEY L. SMITH, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 96,737, dated November 9, 1869.

IMPROVED SHIELD FOR ARMS OF RAILWAY-CAR SEATS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

scription of the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figurel is an end elevation of a car-seat, to which my said improvement is applied, and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectiou (full size) of the said armcushion, and my improved shield.

Similar letters indicate like parts in both figures.

The more modern railroad-car seats are made of cast-iron, whereas the old-fashioned seats had frames exclusively of, wood, with a comfortable seat, and back of upholstery-work.

rigid iron arm of the seat should be rendered comfortable by a cushion-for the arms of the passen er to rest upon. a I

'The material in general use for upholstering railroadcar seats is woollen-plush, that being most suit-able on account of its durability and cleanliness, and because of the resistance it offers to the clothing of the passengers, when seated, which prevents them from sliding or jostling against each other by the motion of the car, arising from the unevenness of the road, or from other causes. This resistance, which is so desirable when the passenger is seated, amounts toan inconvenience wheuthe passengers are passing through the car, between the rows of seats, especially to women clad in over-garments of Velvet, plush, beaver, 850., which extend so as to come in contact with the plush armcushious on one or both sides of the passage-way, and thus detain and obstruct their progress and their efforts to obtain a seat, especially so in the hurry of getting in and out of the car,'if anyway crowded; and my invention is intended to remedy this difiiculty, and consists in applying a shield of metal, or other suitable material, to the outside edge of the arm-cushion,

when it w(uld come in contact with the clothing of the passing passengers, to prevent friction and resistance between the plush cushion and the clothing of the passengers.

In the drawings- D is the arm-cushion ona cast-iron frame, B.

Said cushion consists of a wooden shape, W, fig. 2,

fitting the upper surface of the iron flange of lip c e, on the arm of the seat. It is'secured by screws passing through the said flange into the wood, from beneath. a

This wooden shape is covered with woollen plush, by drawing a piece of the material smoothly and snugly over the wood, and tacking its edges upon the under side, as shown in fig. 2.

The shield is marked m, and, as represented, consists of a piece or strip of malleable sheet-metal, wrought into the form, to fit nicely the outer edge of the said cushion, covering said edge from end to end,

and shielding the plush from contact with the garments of those passing between the two rows of seats, at the same time leaving the rounded upper surface and inside as available for use as a cushion as without it. The said shield, made of what is known as white 1 metal, I have found best adapted for the purpose, be- The adoption of cast-iron instead of wood for the; frames of railroad-seats, has made it essential that the cause a piece of considerable thickness can be easily bent and shaped into the'requisite form, and secured to the cushion by common wood-screws, t t, as shown;

and besides, it is easily burnished, and becomes highly polished, and has the effect of silver plate, by the simple rubbing of the passing passengers. But when this metal is not readily procurable, sheetcopper, tin, brass, or other metal or metallic composition, may be used.

I also propose, (should it be received with favor,) ultimately, to make the cast-iron flange or lip e c to extend beyond the outer edge of the cushion D, and, by polishing the same, furnish an anti-friction surface, to shield the edge of the cushion from contact with the passengers garments, or the said flange may be cast with an upturnededge or lip, like that shown at a, fig. 3, which lip may be smoothed or polished, and furnish a complete shield, in all respects like that of sheet-metal, shown in figs. 1 and 2.

Having described my invention,

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As. combined with the arm-cushion D of a car-seat, a shield, m, or its equivalent, as described, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name, this 22d day of December, 1868.

OLNEY L. SMITH.

Witnesses:

ISAAC A. BROWNELL, WILLIAM BROWNELL. 

